Teaching and technology transfer as alternative revenue streams A primer on the potential legal implications for UK universities

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to assess the financial and intellectual issues facing the university sector as many institutions in the UK pursue alternative revenue streams. As a consequence to the increasing financial pressures, university departments are increasingly exposed to new forms of potential litigation and also face the risk to the prestige of their university and departmental brand. Design/methodology/approach - A theoretical and analytical approach is adopted whereby an introduction to the topic of revenue streams is presented before a review is conducted of the two most prominent and important streams available to the higher education sector-teaching and technology transfer. The paper furthers this analysis through a discussion of the accompanying legal consequences to UK universities and offers strategies to be adopted by such institutions to avoid these pitfalls. Findings - The investigation has identified that the pursuit of additional sources of money from teaching and technology transfer pose significant risks and should only be considered after a rigorous analysis of the associated cost by institutional and departmental management structures. Originality/value - The paper offers an insight into the experience of litigation and the intellectual problems encountered by university departments in the USA. This evidence is utilised to consider how it may provide UK-based counterparts with a guide to avoid similar problems. It will be of relevance to practitioners, managers and strategic planners in the university sector.